Those You Have Trusted
by Calai'di
Summary: [Discontinued] A half sequel to "Yami Bakura's Best Friend". Ryou and Bakura met a strange teen who claims he knew Bakura and the Pharaoh in the past. His price for knowlegde, though, is very high.


Calai'di- Well, this is sort-of a sequel to my "Yami Bakura's Best Friend" fanfic. However, for those of you who know what I'm talking about, Yoshiko is only mentioned in the first small part of it so it really isn't a sequel. For those who have no idea who Yoshiko is, just accept that our friend Bakura cared about her very much, she died, and that was that. Don't worry about it since it doesn't matter here anyway.

Anyway, to the formal stuff– I do not own Yugioh or control its products, and this is absolutely not a true story or has happened in a show. I tried a fanfic like that once and no one looked at it. As to spoilers, I'm fairly sure there aren't any, but be warned; you may find one. Other than that, it is completely from my imagination.

In this part there is a bit of implied yaoi, some cursing, and, depending one how you see it, some extreme/graphic violence. This is probably a PG-7 or PG-13 story, but that also depends on how attached you are to either Ryou or Bakura. 

In this fanfic, the good Bakura is referred to as Ryou, the spirit of the Ring is Bakura, and the spirit of the Puzzle is either the Pharaoh or Yami. All other original Japanese names are used to as far as my knowledge goes.

Glossary (for those who don't know this stuff):

baka-stupid

hikari-light

yami-dark

Jonouchi-Joey

Honda-Tristan

Malik-Marik

Before I start though, I have to give credit to Evanescence. It was their song Taking Over Me that truly inspired this story. Thank you very much.

All right, enough talking. Proceed with the story my friends.

* * * * *

__

"Yami? Yami?! Where are you?"

Bakura lifted his head in confusion. What was Ryou doing here? These halls were dangerous; even he didn't know them perfectly, and he doubted whether anyone did, even the owner. So many halls in every direction, countless stairs, some of which were impossible to climb, every door seemed to be a false entry. He hadn't bargained on having this much trouble finding what he wanted. The familiar voice called again.

"Yami? Are you here? It's so confusing!"

That damn Ryou! Couldn't he keep his mouth shut? Ryou shouldn't be here; he_ shouldn't be here but for that damned Malik! He wasn't about to answer his hikari though, too much risk of being found out. He approached another door and slowly pulled it open; there was just enough time to jump out of the way as thousands of knives soared out of the chamber and straight into the wall before it. The door slammed shut. Nope, he wasn't going to try that one again. That made three hundred out of three hundred tries that were unsuccessful._

"Yami!"

"Ryou, shut up!" he yelled before he could stop himself. Shit, he really shouldn't have done that. Now he'd be found; now Ryou would be found. He ran down the hall, turned right, left, another right, up stairs, down stairs, right once more, there it is! The door he'd been looking for; he could sense it. He turned the handle slowly, carefully opened the door...

Bakura had to use all of his self-control to keep from yelling in horror at what was past the door. The silvery white hair stained with crimson was much too far up the wall for the person to be standing. Long poles stuck out of the wall below; no, that wasn't the wall; that was a bloodstained, off-white sweater with legs hanging down from it, a foot off the ground. The face that belonged to the body in the sweater was streaked with tears and blood; the dark eyes that once shone with light were now cold and lifeless, staring at him with confusion and fear. Red slashes dripped to the floor from his neck and wrists, but they weren't the only source for the dripping sound in the chamber. Staring down at his feet, trying to avoid looking at the body hanging on the wall, Bakura saw a puddle of blood fed by a knife in his hand. Wildly checking his clothes, he saw they too were bloodstained, which could only mean one thing. He was the murderer who had slain the boy on the wall. He'd killed Ryou...

"No!!!"

Bakura jolted upright screaming the word. Not that dream again; it may be slightly different every time, but it was the same dream. Someone he cared about always died in the end, apparently by his hand, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. First it had been Malik's lighter half, then Yoshiko, now the one person he cared about more than anything in the world–Ryou. Why did these dreams keep happening? He'd never had dreams like this before they'd moved to Clearwood, before Yoshiko. He'd accepted the fact that she was gone; true, it hadn't been very easy, but he could still talk to her if he tried hard enough. So why was he having these dreams?

Glancing over at the other bed, he smiled sadly. Ryou was still asleep, dreams untroubled, thoughts peacefully serene, never to know suffering equal to Bakura's. How could he, after all? Ryou actually had friends at the school he went to; it was the whole reason they'd come back to Domino. His friends cared and worried about him. Bakura had no one, Ryou maybe, but other than that…he'd scared everyone else away. Only Yoshiko had cared about him; she hadn't been scared, and she hadn't run away. 

Bakura sighed. He'd lived with being alone for three thousand years; it must be his _fate_ to be alone for as long as his spirit lived within the Millennium Ring. Living in the Ring had made his insanity worse then when he'd really been alive, or maybe the Ring had made him that way. At least Ryou wasn't insane, yet anyway; all he was was possessed once in a while by Bakura because of the Ring. The Ring had brought about nothing but distress and sorrow, first for him, then Ryou, next probably some other unsuspecting hikari in another three thousand years. 

Then again, when had he ever been truly alone? He had never been properly alone since he had had his own body. The screams of the people of his village still rang in his head at times; his mother still spoke to him, his father regularly chided him. How could he possibly be alone with those voices in his head? 

"Yami?" said a groggy voice from the other bed, almost startling Bakura.

"What?" he answered sourly.

"Why are you awake? Do you know what time it is?"

"2:00 am, and why I'm awake is none of your business."

"Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"No, baka!" 

He turned away from Ryou frowning. That stupid hikari of his, infringing on problems he didn't need to worry about. And he always seemed to know when Bakura was upset so he could attempt what he called "moral support." Bakura called it "annoying." But as he lay down again, still facing away from the other bed, he realized Ryou was right. He _did_ want to talk about his problems to someone, but he couldn't bring himself to talk to Ryou about them. They lay in silence for a few minutes, and Bakura almost thought his light had fallen asleep again until the boy interrupted the silence in his soft voice.

"What type of deck was it?"

"Who's?" Bakura asked sleepily.

"Yoshiko's."

"A shaman deck. It was beautifully built, a lot like mine actually. A shaman deck is spirits and spell-casters, if you wanted to know. There was a Dark Magician in it. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get some more sleep."

"Will you tell me what's bothering you in the morning?"

"Possibly." 

The rest of his sleep was untroubled, and when he awoke later on in the morning, Bakura had nearly forgotten the events at two am. Ryou had woken up already and since it was Saturday, he was downstairs in the kitchen making breakfast. Of course he was making breakfast. Every time Bakura tried, he either made something Ryou didn't like or whatever he made blew up, undercooked, burned, or the like. So for now, Ryou was decided to play it safe and make breakfast himself for a while. He was now downstairs, giving the yami space and time to think.

But not enough time. Bakura was only half-dressed, and in the middle of remembering one particular 'accident' in the kitchen, when he heard a small explosion downstairs followed immediately by a yell from Ryou. Cursing, Bakura seized a shirt and hurried down the stairs. By the time he could see what had happened, Ryou was running out the front door yelling, "Jonouchi! Honda! Get back here!"

A small curl of smoke drifted out of the kitchen as Bakura pulled one of the kitchen doors open, and he was greeted with a giant mess. Apparently, Jonouchi and Honda had set off some sort of bomb in here for their amusement, and they were still being amused. Bakura stepped nimbly aside as a streak of blue, white, and gold dashed in one door and out another, followed closely by a blue and brown streak. Ryou shortly appeared through the first door and was panting slightly.

"Bakura, could you help me please?" he asked as he looked helplessly up at his yami.

As much as the dark wanted the chase to go on, he wanted to see the other boys suffer even more, so, grudgingly, he tossed Ryou a card, saying, "Go practice." 

The teen nodded and was half out the door when Bakura added, "Remember, nothing in the way."

He heard Jonouchi and Honda cheer joyfully as Ryou appeared, and then a soft voice exclaimed, "Chain Energy!" The yells of the boys ceased suddenly. Walking out to observe the damage, he almost laughed as he saw the two boys on the floor. Their legs were bound by ropes of light, but so were their necks and mouths, so they could barely breathe and couldn't yell for help.

"Nice job, but you still need to practice."

"So now what am I supposed to do?" Ryou pleaded. "I want them trapped, not killed."

"You figure it out," Bakura replied as the doorbell rang. He left the almost helpless hikari so he could answer the door. Malik Ishtar was standing outside, gasping slightly. 

"Are you still here?" Bakura snarled. "Don't you have a home in Egypt? What do you want Malik, I'm busy."

"It's Yugi; he's in trouble. I thought Jonouchi and Honda might want to know."

"And how the hell did you know they're here?"

"Bakura," said a soft voice from behind him.

"What Ryou?"

"I can't free Jonouchi and Honda. I've tried everything I could think of, but I've only made it worse. Can you help?"

"You know I can't if I don't have the Ring."

"So what am I supposed to do? They're suffocating; I need to free them _now_."

"Did you try 'Chain Energy return'?"

Ryou ran off again, cursing under his breath for not thinking of that, and returned with a very relieved Jonouchi and Honda.

"Oh man, Ryou, don't ever do that again," Jonouchi was saying as they came into the front hall. He stopped as soon as he saw Malik.

"Jonouchi! Honda! I've been looking for you guys!" Malik exclaimed.

"Malik! What are you doing here?" Jonouchi questioned. He'd never seemed to forgive Malik for brainwashing him and forcing him to duel Yugi before Battle City finals.

"Yugi's in trouble and I knew you would want to help–"

"Yugi's in trouble?! Lead on Malik!"

Malik raced down the street with Jonouchi and Honda close behind. As Bakura watched them go, he felt a sharp pang in his heart, causing him to stumble and fall onto the wall. 

"What happened?" Ryou asked, concerned.

"I have a very bad feeling about this, but I'm assuming I'll have to go?"

"Well, I'm worried about Yugi, and since you're attached to the Ring, then yes, you have to come."

"Thought so. I'm worried, though; I want you to be careful Ryou. Don't do anything stupid," Bakura said as he disappeared. Ryou chased after the others, hoping they weren't too late.

The sensation inside Bakura intensified the closer they got to Yugi, and he was actually afraid of it, which was a first. Not even Malik's dark half had frightened him, and he didn't know anything else that was more evil than Yami no Malik or himself. 

Their destination was a warehouse in a shady part of town, but the corruption here was only part of what Bakura was feeling. He almost recognized the aura he sensed, like he'd encountered it before in some far-gone life, but he had no idea why. One thing he was sure of though, was that his magic was very weak against this being's, and they were no match anyway if Ryou was in control. And for the second time in one day, he was afraid Ryou was already dead.

But as they entered the building, the four could see no reason for why Malik was so scared. Only two people stood in the space; one was Yugi, who also looked fearful, and he was facing another seemingly harmless looking teen. The other teen could have been imposing enough, as he wore thoroughly black clothes, complete with a black trenchcoat and gold tipped ebony cane. His hair was also pure black, a stark contrast to his pale, almost bleached, skin. Glittering crimson eyes stared innocently at them through large glasses as the group entered, but his mocking smile disloyally revealed his true nature.

"Hello," he greeted them cheerfully. He spoke with a strange accent that was similar to Malik's and his sister's. The teen looked so innocent standing there. Bakura decided enough was enough. He subtly materialized in the shadows so he could have a closer view; the teen didn't appear to notice. 

"So, are you Yugi's friends?" he asked. "I am so happy to meet you!"

Bakura almost thought he was kidding, but the teen sounded earnest.

"Is Bakura with you?" the boy inquired.

"Who wants to know?" Bakura answered. He was completely hidden in the shadows, so no one could see him, even if they looked, as the other teen did.

"Do you not remember me, Bakura?" the teen called.

"Apparently not. Now tell us who you are before I'm forced to hurt you. I may anyway."

"My name is Sayyid. Remember now?"

Sayyid. That name rang a bell in his head, but he still couldn't remember the teen standing there. He could sense the darkness was growing, and it was centered around Sayyid.

"What about the Pharaoh? Surely he will remember an old friend."

"If Yami had wanted to meet you, Sayyid, he would be here right now," Yugi answered cautiously. The other teen frowned.

"So my old friends do not remember me, and they are even hiding from me. How inconsiderate of other's feelings. I should force them out right now."

And with that statement, the power that surrounded Sayyid grew ten-fold. A long tendril of darkness shot out at Yugi and another at Ryou, threatening to bore right through them. But Bakura couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let Ryou get hurt again because of himself.

"Ryou!" he exclaimed, stepping out of his protective shadows. Instantly, the darkened vines stopped, inches away from the hearts of both boys. Sayyid turned back to Bakura, smiling maliciously.

"You should really straighten out your priorities, Bakura; you should have thought of your welfare instead of this boy's. Then you wouldn't have made your mistake."

"You knew I was there the entire time, didn't you?" Bakura scowled.

"I have always been able to see through you tricks, old friend, and you have never been able to hide from me. You were the greatest thief in the world, and yet you were never able the take so much as a crumb from any dwelling I was in. Actually, I am disappointed; I thought you would have gotten better in three thousand years. It is a pity you will have to die before I get to teach you."

One of the vines turned and shot straight at Bakura, but seconds before impact it stopped. The yami recognized the golden mist surrounding the end of the tendril; Ryou was trying to use the Millennium Ring to stop it. Sayyid laughed venomously and the shadow broke free, headed directly for Bakura's heart, but it didn't hit. The yami had caught it a millimeter before contact, along with the second one that was sent his way, and he was cursing the entire time. The others heard words like "Pharaoh" and "Ryou" in the middle of the Egyptian, but Sayyid understood everything he said and was very offended by it, which only made their situation worse.

"What are you?" Yugi asked incredulously. Sayyid glanced over at him demonically.

"I am Sayyid, Dono ot Ceitayt Tah–"

"Brother of the Shadows," Bakura translated.

"–and I am an elf. Well, I am a sprite actually, but I am sure that does not mean a thing to you except that now you know I am more dangerous than you originally thought. Of course, I am sure Bakura knew how much power I have even way back at his house. Am I right, my friend?"

Bakura was already shaking with anger, but he managed to answer, "I am no friend of yours. If you want a friend, I know the perfect person. I'm sure you two would destroy each other in no time, if that's what you like to do to your friends."

"Insolence!" Sayyid exclaimed. Out of no where, a shadow-vine pierced through Bakura's back, narrowly missing his spine and heart. However much tolerance he might have had, it disappeared, and he felt the full torture of a pole through one's back, and in proving it, Bakura screamed when it went through. Looking down, he saw the tip of the vine sticking out of his chest, dripping with blood. Out of the pain that was muddling his thinking, he was very confused as to why blood was on the vine and his shirt, since he thought he wasn't fully corporeal, so right now he shouldn't have blood. Of course, right now he couldn't really think straight anyway because of how much agony he was suffering, which didn't make sense either. He touched the blood and saw that some of it stuck to his hand. Confusion and horror mixed in his eyes as he glanced back to Sayyid, who was laughing cruelly the entire time.

"Are you wondering why that hurt so much, dear playmate? I suppose you have not noticed yet, but you are human again, and that means you are mortal. And I am sure you know that means you could die in the next few minutes."

"How–?" Bakura stammered.

"Elf magic. It works very subtly so I guess you would not have been able to feel it turn you human again anyway. Granted, you will not have the pleasure of being human for much longer; that wound looks fatal. You really should have someone look at that."

"Why would you do something like this?" Yugi asked alarmed, since Ryou was too much in shock to do anything.

"Why? Because my feelings were hurt. Oh, and by the way, if the Pharaoh were to come out right now, he would also be turned human and, like Bakura, would no longer be able to inhabit the Millennium Puzzle or possess you again–"

"What?!" Ryou exclaimed, finally coming out of shock. "You mean Bakura's separate from me now?" Sayyid nodded mischievously. Ryou sank to the ground in despair, locking his gaze with his former yami's. They were separate people now, and Bakura was about to die. Would his spirit go back to the Millennium Ring if he died like this? Reading the question in the hikari's eyes, Bakura slowly shook his head. Ryou stared desperately at his yami.

"What do we have to do?" he asked, pointedly at Sayyid.

"What do mean?" the other teen responded sincerely.

"Well you obviously did this to get something from us!" Ryou cried. "So what do you want?!" 

Sayyid remained quiet for a moment before answering, "I want you, Ryou."

Both Bakura and Ryou looked up at him alarmed.

"What?!"

"And if you want to save Bakura you'll come with me."

Ryou went into shock again. How could he leave his yami like this? They'd become so close since Ryou had received the Ring from his father, and that closeness was now being jeopardized by this sprite Bakura couldn't even remember. Ryou slowly stood up and walked over to Bakura. He wouldn't leave, not while his yami needed his help.

"Ryou…"

"No yami, I'm staying here. I can't leave you like this."

"Hikari, if you don't leave I'll die. I know that. But if Sayyid can help me and is being truthful, you need to go with him. Otherwise I won't be able to help you."

"But–"

"Absolutely not, Ryou. He'll take you no matter what. I die, you'll have to go with him. If I don't die, it's because you'll have gone with him. So go, and trust me."

Ryou nodded, lifted the cord of the Millennium Ring over his head, and placed it around his yami's neck. Then he took the Millennium Eye out of his pocket and put it in Bakura's hand. Ryou was almost at tears as he turned away from Bakura and walked to Sayyid's side.

"That was very wise, Ryou," Sayyid said while he made a complicated motion with his arms. The shadow-vine withdrew from Bakura and he fell to the ground. The hole that was left began to shrink. Sayyid stayed long enough so Ryou could see that Bakura was okay and thereupon disappeared in a swirl of rose petals and _sakura_ blossoms.

As soon as they were gone, the Pharaoh, Yami, materialized and helped Bakura to his feet, which cost him a lot of effort since Bakura didn't seem to want to stand. He continued to try to fall to his knees, but he wouldn't cry. The only person he would ever cry in front of was Ryou, and Ryou was gone. Ryou was gone and he was human. Without thinking, Bakura broke down and fell on Yami, tears falling from his eyes. He was human; he was helpless.


End file.
